Succession of Witches
by Freaky Krazer
Summary: In a world divided by race and religion. Destruction slowly waits to wreak havoc as a young girl possessed with a great evil travels to stop this monstrosity. SessRin a somewhat Alternate Universe.
1. Chapter 1: Succession of Witches

**Author's Note:** Hello readers and thank you very much for choosing to read this story. I would like to start off by saying that I do not have ownership over Inuyasha or any of its characters. The story will be in Alternate Universe however not the usual universe people read about (i.e. modern day). The setting will be a fictional place and a fictional time however it bares resemblance to the setting of Ancient Japan and a crossover with ancient Europe (if you're a Square-soft/Square-enix fan, think Star Ocean: Till the End of Time except with an Asian twist). To be honest, it's my first try on something scifi-ish. I was inspired to write this after watching Full Metal Alchemist, Inuyasha, Elfen Lied, and Blood Plus. Then I was even more encouraged to write it after re-playing Final Fantasy 8 (the song Succession of Witches in the game kind of inspired me too xD!). Once again thank you for reading this story and I hope you enjoy it.

Reviews and **Constructive Criticisms** are welcomed. I ignore flames ;D.

**(FOR THOSE WHO ALREADY READ THIS CHAPTER) BY THE WAY IF YOU'RE WONDERING WHY THE SAME CHAPTER IS UPLOADED, IT'S BECAUSE MY STORY GOT DELETED**** HERE'S THE SAME CHAPTER! NEXT CHAPTER WILL BE UPDATED...WHEN I FEEL LIKE IT (LOL) THANKS FOR THE REVIEWS BTW  
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**Chapter 1: Succession of Witches**

The ominous atmosphere and silence of the cathedral could've frightened even the gods themselves. Yet in this very cathedral was the sole foundation of hope in the citizens' eyes founded. On the graceful yet dark stained glasses on the sides of the church depicted a story so inhuman and at the same fascinating.

The Succession of Witches.

Haunted faces of the condemned and the horror of the condemner's justice were filled in each illustration.

While in the altar of the calendar sat a stone of pure marble; a work of art that served the devil's purpose.

"Are the preparations ready?" a monk questioned in the darkness, cloaked with crimson robes.

"Sir…" replied nervously by his zealous apprentice. It seemed his voice quaked as he uttered the word.

"What has gone wrong?"

"…"

His answer could not be voiced for beyond the doors that protected the cathedral was a monstrosity they could ever imagine. Horrors and screams echoed loudly and torturously through the walls.

The monk gaped in horror. After months of preparations and practice, the hour has come. Time has stolen from him the one thing that mattered…

"Sir we must leave!" begged the zealous apprentice. His body quivered fearfully under his black robes. His eyes shone with great fear at his superior. He could already feel of it of course. Both of them could. The demonic presence was about to enter the cathedral, and it seemed from the screams that their bodyguards were massacred. "He's come to pass judgment my lord!" His mouth was left open and shaking. He did not know what to do.

The monk tried to think of an escape. The cathedral was an enclosed area in the castle. There were no escape routes or trap doors they could use. _Confound it!_

He then gaped at his apprentice, staring at the frantic hands that held on to him. "We must protect her."

As if broken by a spell, the apprentice immediately let go of his master and was taken back by his response. "That's blasphemy! The gods can protect themselves!"

_THUMP_

The great doors were almost opened by a great force from outside.

"My lord!" begged the apprentice. "What can we do to protect the lady?! We are mere mortals who have no power over life and death!"

When the monk gave him no answer, the apprentice quickly fled to the altar and stood before the Witch's Statue.

"What are you doing?!"

"There's no other way!"

"Do you not trust in the lady any longer?!"

Driven mad by fear, the apprentice laughed maniacally. Though he learned of the demon's intrusion hours before, he didn't know it could easily defeat the castle guards and the other monks housed in it. If his master wasn't willing to save his young and selfish apprentice, then the apprentice must end it himself. His eyes burned with rage and fear, perplexed by the confusion of emotions itself.

"Don't do it!" yelled the outraged monk.

Putting his hand underneath an opening in his cloak, the apprentice took out a dagger. It was dull yet it gleamed like silver. The hilt and guard were decorated elaborately with gold and bronze, with a gothic cross as its crest. Then, without a moment's hesitation, he plunged the blade's end upon his heart and instantly pulled it out, killing himself instantaneously.

A crimson shadow seeped on the marble floor as the dead apprentice fell to the ground. A dark pool of blood surrounded the corpse, staining the pure white marble of the altar.

The monk's face was aghast with horror and melancholy. His only apprentice ended his faith and life with the Witch to escape a mortal fear. Alone and clueless, the only action to do was to wait for judgment to pass on him, waiting for the doors to open.

Alas! The doors burst open, revealing a dark figure upon the doorway. The monk's fear blinded his side as the pressure in the atmosphere seemed to have become overpowering. Sweat trickled down his hooded head, making his face glisten upon the light given by the stained windows.

All he could see in the darkness were red eyes that glowered in the bleak shadows of the cathedral.

"Save me…" the monk panted breathlessly as he fell on his knees, staring upon the dark creature. He felt weak and helpless, like a prey being hunted down by the heinous predator of life. His bulging eyes widened in horror as the dark creature pulled out a long katana. It gave a scarlet sheen, showing the blood from its previous victims. And slowly the demon took steps toward the monk, piercing him with the devil's blade.

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Rin opened her eyes to the sounds of screams echoing in her mind. She felt a jolt of dread and terror waking her from her peaceful dreams. Her eyes wandered around her shabby tent, looking for danger. Still lying down on her straw-made bed and pillow covered with a rag of a blanket, her body shivered with fear as the sound of gentle rain poured softly on her weak tent. Looking up, she found small holes through the water-proof cloth where tiny rain droplets fell on her head.

_It's raining…_

She could feel the soil beneath getting damp as the rain gradually became stronger. Lifting herself up, she put her worn-out blanket over her head to cloak her body and exited her shelter into the world of rain.

The angry winds blew gusts at her; trying to push her away from the direction she was headed. Carefully walking around the tent, she disassembled her make-shift shelter and wrapped it an oilcloth, tying it to drenched back.

It was still late at night for the world was pitch black. Dark clouds loomed in the skies, blocking the luminous moon. The rain grew heavier and heavier as it started beating her young and feeble body, as if frozen rocks were being poured down from the heavens. And the frigid air cracked her skin, making it more painful to go on with just a yukata and a rag cloth to protect her from nature's anger.

Rin used the silhouettes of the surrounding trees to guide her path. She knew uphill was a cave in which she could rest. However, what she didn't know was what horrors or creatures it housed.

The soil beneath her gave way as it turned into dense mud, preventing her bare feet to walk the speed she wanted. It seemed as if she was sinking into the soil, but Rin paid no heed to it for giving into fear would mean to be devoured by it.

_I can still make it,_ she thought persistently.

The heavy tears the clouds made flooded everything in sight for not only is the soil turning into mud, but it seemed that the road she walked had flowing water. Thunder and lightning roared throughout the night sky, frightening the vulnerable.

However, even through the storm, Rin persisted.

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"Where is she?"

"… Not here."

Two dark shadows stood in the altar where the apprentice and monk's corpses lay lifeless and drenched with blood. Anger seemed to have swelled in one of them for the creature clenched his fists tightly.

"She must've fled when they learned of our intrusion," added the feminine voice. Dressed in a black hakama and topped with a robe of similar color. The sleeves were elaborately decorated with cherry blossoms with petals as pale as the moon hovering in what seemed to be a night sky.

The other creature loomed over the shadows, making his appearance to be invisible as it was protected by the darkness. "It amuses me… the obsession these humans have." The man's voice trailed off. He observed his vicinity, studying the art of sculpted marble and paintings decorated upon the walls depicting their religious history. "I just adore the art, though."

Unsure of what to say to such a random statement, the woman's eyes squinted. Her scarlet eyes continued to watch her superior, confused with his reaction.

"I hear the rain."

"Should we leave?" she asked. His spontaneous change of subject bothered her for it was atrocious of him to speak in such manner.

The man grinned at her question as his eyes fell upon her. He stepped away from the shadows, revealing a man with long, untamed raven hair, eyes similar to the woman's, and a face as pale as the moon's. His hand held a pale sword stained with drying blood.

"Do you think she's not so far?"

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Rin sighed in relief. After finding the cave empty, she gladly set up a bed by using the dead leaves found on the ground and her rag as her covering. Then she quickly positioned herself to sleep while clutching a sheathed dagger close to her chest. On the dagger was a familiar gothic cross engraved with gold and bronze and its sheathed lined with silver. She closed her eyes, breathing heavily and her body frantically shivering from the rain. Her ears listened carefully to the sounds nature made.

_I never knew_, she thought sleepily, _that even the world weeps in its darkest times._

Her dreaming mind meandered into her past. Back to a time when she was young… when her deceased mother was alive.

"_Once upon a time…the land was young and humans were only in small numbers. Demons walked the earth with such terror and hate that the humans revered them as feared minions of hell. Using this point of a view, a group of corrupt and zealous humans practiced arts of demon slaying and later took heinous leadership over the humans."_

_Her mother's eyes looked lovingly at the small child, whose eyes drooped heavily, almost asleep. Her voice echoed the story soothingly and reminiscently as if she was gazing upon old times._

"_But they wrong. They were rarely any demons who committed acts of hate towards the humans. However, humans mistreated demons and killed off the innocent"_

_Her hands caressed her child's face as she watched her fall on the brink of slumber._

"_But there were good humans who treated the demons as their own. Some fell in love with the other creature, and lived together as a family. Their offspring were gifted children who had unimaginable powers. They were called hanyou, half demon and half human. _

_This joyous union was frowned upon and soon they were ostracized. Humans and demons who had views that were different from their kind were left alone in the world, and their children were outcasts of society… never belonging to a human or a demon."_

_The sorrowful tale brought small Rin's attention to her mother. Her eyes gazed sadly upon the words she uttered._

"_In a time of war and hate, a hanyou girl was born named Aishou. Growing up, she never had companions for there weren't any of her kind. Her father who was a demon, died protecting her and her mother from an angry mob of humans; her mother was killed by a priest who thought of her as a demon's whore and an impurity in the world._

_Wrought with grief and devastation, hatred flamed in Aishou's body. The desire for revenge welled inside her, turning her into a merciless killer. Aishou then made it her oath to defeat the corruption that caused her parents' deaths._

_Using her powers she massacred the demon slayers, unifying humans and demons."_

Rin woke from her slumber. She was having dreams again of that night.

Trying to forget about her dream, her hazel brown eyes peered to the world outside of the cave. Out there, golden beams of the sun swept the forest as it slowly rose among the mountains. The rain clouds from the night before were nowhere in sight. Birds chirped sweetly in the morning air as the sky grew golden red, tinted by the sunlight. Thin, white clouds traced the sky as the gray remains of the night were washed away by the sun.

Deciding it was a good time to continue her voyage, she quickly packed up her belongings in the oilcloth tied to her back and her dagger hidden inside her yukata. Stepping outside, she couldn't help but notice the debris and damage left by the storm. There were several trees that fell to the ground with its roots sticking out from the soil; and muddy soil covered with brown puddles where leaves stay afloat.

Rin set foot on the path she previously walked and took the road that led to the village nearby. Hoping not only to find directions for her destination (which was the old capital, Heian Kyo), but also food.

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The great dog demon Sesshoumaru gloriously walked the earthen path with his tiny and irritable servant, Jaken. He was on his way, sent by his father, to Heian Kyo, the old capital where the largest and holiest temple was located (though many humans call it a cathedral, he did not care). His mission? Sesshoumaru was uninformed of his purpose there, but since it was his father who ordered him to go, the great demon was obliged to do so.

Obligation or not, however, he did not like it. Heian Kyo was located in the eastern part of the country where much of the humans settled and continued the development of their civilization. His kind belonged in the Western Lands where the Celestial Wench … or witch, he could not recall what the wench was called… placed his kind to live in.

The walking toad beside him knew the irritation his master felt when it came to his journey. Being in an area filled with humans disgusted him.

Suddenly, Sesshoumaru ceased to a halt and so did his acquaintance. His nose silently sniffed the air, smelling the putrid stench of filthy humans. There was a group of them, probably bandits waiting somewhere in the forest and another human walking down the same path seemingly unaware of the bandits' presence. Immediately, his eyebrows furrowed. He did not expect to encounter humans until Heian Kyo, and this meeting irritated him.

"What's wrong mi'Lord?" Jaken asked loudly. His round, bulging snake-like eyes were filled with wonder and confusion at his master. What could it be that stopped their march?

Whatever it was, it seemed to have no longer bothered Sesshoumaru for after a few moments he went back to his walking.

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Rin stopped abruptly after feeling an inauspicious presence around her. She looked around, looking for danger. However, danger was hard to spot for the trees seemed to have served as shelter for the shadows to creep.

Once in a while she heard leaves rustling or small twigs breaking, but she would convince herself that they're merely the forest animals. She resumed to her walk and slowly took a step. Once again she heard a twig snap.

Another step and before another twig could snap, Rin turned around sharply only to find her sight blinded once again by darkness.

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**A/N:** I would love it if you all would offer feedback. I hope it didn't bore you because after re-reading it I was bored of my own story! Haha. Well next chapter we'll wait and see, okay?

By the way Heian Kyo was the ancient name for Kyoto. However I am not basing this story on ancient Japan though the place resembles ancient Japan's setting… got me?

Oh yeah and I'm sure you're confused with the whole legendary tale and the religion. It will be gradually explained throughout the story, so don't fret!


	2. Chapter 2: Her Lady's Sorrow

**Author's Note:** Thanks for my two reviers… off to a good start . To be honest I really felt like discontinuing the story but then again I re-played FF8 and I got inspiration (haha). For those who are waiting for a Sesshoumaru-Rin encounter, lol sorry but you're going to have to wait (not for too long, though). I bring you chapter 2 of Succession of Witches!

By the way I was wondering if you guys ever questioned Rin's age. I didn't say anything about it on purpose, but if you guys are curious, she's not a little kid (xD).

WARNING: VIOLENCE AND AN ALMOST RAPE HAPPENS. But it's not that bad so don't worry.

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**Chapter 2: Her Lady's Sorrow**

"How many casualties were there?"

The man looked around the gothic cathedral with awe and disgust. Its beautiful art and magic was tainted with the blood of obsessed monks.

"Around 35…" he answered monotonously. Takemaru felt his face flush his face. The 20 dead guards he assigned, as Heian Kyo's general, were weak and useless based on evidence put before him, and the monks seemed to have died the heretics they were.

Around the room were 10 professionals investigating the massacre, searching for an answer of who could've done such a cruel deed. The stained glass window built on the wall behind the altar was smashed to pieces, revealing the warm glow of sunlight; its golden shine giving warmth to the death-reeking cathedral.

"Tell me about that monk in the altar," Takemaru ordered.

An old investigator next to him cupped his chin as if in thought. "It looks like suicide."

Takemaru gave a slight smirk, finding the cause of death to be a bit comical. "Why bother with suicide? It seems that all the other deaths were quick based on wounds found on them." He was done with the place. Unlike most humans, he did not believe in such a religion and always knew that those who followed it would find themselves hypnotized in front of death's eyes. Before exiting through the heavy wooden doors, he studied the corpses that lay aghast in the hallway. _Surely not all of them could've died…_

"Are there any survivors?"

The investigator squinted his eyes at the official. "Well… look around, sir. It seems all of them have either had their heads chopped off or their hearts impaled."

Takemaru turned to him in annoyance, wary of his mockery. "Surely this castle isn't _only_ filled with 35 people. It's large enough to house about a 100!"

The old man felt irritated with his young superior. He felt his ridicule jump back at him. "Well what do you want me to do, young master?" His brow rising in question.

"This cathedral _would_ have a list of its residents… am I correct?"

Myoga pondered in his memory, searching for the answer. "Well… normally, any house giving residency to a significant amount of people would usually have a list of its residents."

Takemaru's eyes were fixated on Myoga as they waited for a more elaborate answer.

"Sir!" One of the investigator's voices called out running to Takemaru. His attention quickly switched to the other man. "What is it?" he asked with a temperamental tone.

"There was a monk hiding in the confession room left of the altar."

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On one of the wooden walls of the confession room hung an oil painting of Aishou herself. It was a beautiful yet dark painting of Aishou as a young maiden calling out to the dark heavens with her silver hands raised in the skies, her raven hair swaying in the wind, and undead minions on earth clinging to her legs, frozen in time. It never hit Takemaru how striking Aishou was for in the portrait her porcelain face was aglow in what seemed to be the darkest of nights and her eyes shone gold, a very atrocious color for eyes.

Takemaru took off his eyes off the painting to stare at a crazed monk, sweating frantically as if in an endless fever while sitting apprehensively on a chair. The monk then looked back at Takemaru, a handsome yet fearsome human being with a presence that seemed overpowering. His brown eyes had a red glow upon them as they pierced the poor monk's soul with a deadly glare.

"Would you kindly tell us what you saw?" His voiced was heinous and demanding, yet there was a seductive evil in it, like an ingenious tyrant whose charisma could overpower any human soul.

The monk was now shaking, deciding whether to spit out the truth or speak a lie. Small red lines formed around his eyes as fear made his very veins fall in pain. "They're…" his voice quaked, "they're … out…"

Takemaru stepped closer to the monk with his metal boots clicking on the floor, kneeling down next to him so that their eyes could meet. It was necessary, in his opinion, in order to find truth from lie. "Out … what?"

The witness was starting to feel queasy. Takemaru's towering gaze reminded him of the demon who sacked the cathedral. "t-…t-to… g-get …h-her." He closed his eyes trying to make sense of his inarticulate words.

"Get what?" Takemaru's fierce hands clutched the poor monk's weak shoulders while Myoga, who stands next to the door leading to the cathedral, watched the interrogation with such apprehension.

Before the monk could finish his statement, he suddenly remembered those dark words uttered by the ruthless demon whose crimson eyes reflected the blood he splattered on the sacred floors of the cathedral. _"I will spare you if you tell them…"_ His words ran through his mind, making him unsure whether to obey and lie for the demon or tell the truth to the interrogator. _"Tell them… lead me to… **her**_."

Tears slithered down his face. "Save her, my lord!" he cried in a whisper.

Takemaru was confused. Whatever a woman had to do with such a massacre seemed unreal for they were never allowed to enter such holy homes that housed so many celibate men. Priestesses, however, were a different matter for they were always kept in a locked annex.

"An orphan…" his tears poured down like rain from his clouded eyes. "She… an orphan… from the … Southern… islands…" His breath grew rugged trying to tell the truth. "The demons want to kill her my lord! They spared me so they could kill her!"

He slowly recalled the traumatic events.

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"_Do you think she's not so far?"_

_From the confession room he could hear their voices. A man and a woman, committing the murderous crimes against such holy men. He started to gasp in nervousness and fright for he knew who exactly they were talking about. The orphan from the southern islands._

"_I think…" the woman spoke, but it seemed she was cut off._

"_Wait, Kagura. There seems to be… an eavesdropper amongst us."_

_The monk gulped heavily from where he sat in a corner of the confession room. He closed his eyes and prayed in his mind for Aishou's protection. Silently fear engulfed his heart as he vigilantly prayed for damnation to stray from his own fate._

"_You won't mind helping me find her, do you?"_

_The monk opened his eyes to find the demon himself staring him in the eyes. He let out a yelp as he screamed._

_The demon seemed to have been amused for he smirked. "Kagura, maybe we can make our jobs easier?"_

_The woman who stood right at the door just monotonously gazed at her master and their victim with her blood-red eyes._

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Rin felt a throb of pain as she awoke from a darkness that encaged her. Through her unconsciousness it seemed she had dreamt the same dream, except this time there were more recent events.

"_You're not safe anymore, Rin-chan… you must flee to Heian Kyo…"_

A tear fell upon her bound hands, the sadness of the memory drowning out the laughs of the cruel bandits as they beat her. She lay on the grass, bruised and defeated, with blood trickling down her head mixing with her ebony hair. It seemed that she was never safe in the first place.

Suddenly, all her emotions and thoughts were disrupted when she felt a strong hand grab her knees, pulling her legs open. "No!" She sat up, kicking her legs trying to push away who ever dared touch her. The frustrated bandit smacked her face, sending her back to the ground.

"Foolish girl," he uttered mischievously. There were other men besides him, all surrounding her. Their hands grabbed her body, holding her down in order to prevent anymore resistance.

"Please!" she begged almost crying. Her eyes could see the lust and want that emanated from the men. Their sweaty and corpulent hands ripped her yukata apart, revealing her nakedness. Never has she felt so vulnerable until now. The fear of being forced and used crept in her mind as she shut her eyes tightly, not wanting to experience or see what they're about to do.

In the gloom of her mind, her soul curled into a ball, wrenching the pain in her heart. _What am I to do… What am I to do… Aishou-sama…_

"_Hmph… you were always so useless without me,"_ a woman maliciously called out in her consciousness. A presence seemed to have touched her brain. Rin felt the powerful entity take over her heart as a deep sleep entered her once more as a cynical laugh echoed in her ears.

In the deep forest, a heart beat thumped, sounding out throughout the vast region. Everything was still and silent except for the vibration caused by the thumping heart beat.

The bandits were confused. Immediately their hearts welled up in fear as they noticed the girl they were about to ravage, went through a change.

Rin's eyelids slowly opened. Her once almond orbs now transformed into translucent amber shining with the light of death. Her body slowly rose in a robotic manner as if the existence inside of her did not know now to control her body.

The bandits gawked at the girl, rising to their feet and taking a step backwards, unsure whether or not it was safe to come near her. The very air they breathed was intoxicated with an invisible miasma, carrying the scent of the rotting dead.

Her head cocked to the side, giving a strange look to her captors. "Foolish humans." Her voice was different. It wasn't childish and innocent at all! The tone carried a weight of sorrow, hatred, and seduction.

Filled with cowardice's heart, their knees weakened, prompting them to fall on the earth. Just being near her was frightening. It's as if the weight of the world was on their shoulders and the death reaper himself guided her with his powers.

"Please!" they yelled.

Her naked body rose, drawing closer to them. The prey now became the predator as her bloodlust pierced the very core of their minds. "Please what?"

In a matter of seconds, thousands of agonizing screams penetrated the air as blood soaked the earth with its malice.

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Sesshoumaru watched the whole scene with a bored expression next to a tree near the camp site of the bandits while Jaken hid behind his master, feeling the desperate want of death that emerged from the young woman.

_How monstrous! What kind of human is she?! To put such a fear in a demon like me!_ Jaken glanced at Sesshoumaru, awed by his deadpan expression. _HA! But even a human like that can't frighten him_ A new found confidence built up in Jaken, who now stopped hiding and stood right by his master's side.

The woman finished off the last bandit by penetrating his chest with her bare hands, clawing out his heart. Then, she recklessly dropped the prominent organ on the grass and crushing it with her feet, making sure to grind it into pieces. _Humans… so despicable and disgusting._ She breathed deeply, taking in the air that she hasn't breathed for more than a few hundred years.

Slowly turning around to leave, Sesshoumaru walked back to his path, finding his entertaining bloodbath to be over, with Jaken following along like a tale on the dog.

"Going so soon… Sesshoumaru-sama?" she asked seductively. Her voice swelled with curiosity and suspicion of his presence. "How unkind of Sesshoumaru-sama."

Sesshoumaru turned back to her, his eyes glowering to look at the woman now only 3 feet away from him, when just a second ago she was yards away.

Shocked, Jaken once again hid behind Sesshoumaru for fear of his life and well-being.

"I see you haven't changed." She smiled with a sweetness stained with the blood of murderers.

He continued to gawk dully, not interested in the woman whose naked body was bathed in red. "I have no time for humans." His strong, yet bored voice irritated her, but she wasn't going to easily let him go.

"Why, have you forgotten your long lost friend?" her tone was friendly and disappointed but anyone could spot the amusement in her eyes.

The green toad was wondering what a woman would have to do with his master. His yellow orbs bulged with the black-slits thinning. "Sesshoumaru-sama?" He looked at the dog demon, waiting for a reply. What came next was so terrifying and shocking that Jaken couldn't believe what he saw… Sesshoumaru was smirking!

"This Sesshoumaru never was acquainted with a hanyou so weak and disgraceful as Aishou."

Aishou pouted, using her charm for mockery, "Why so mean Sesshoumaru-sama?! This Aishou was always so kind, yet you repay me with such insults!"

_Aishou?!_ The surprises didn't seem to end for Jaken. His mouth widened with each new turn of events.

Sesshoumaru made a "feh" sound, ignoring Aishou and her annoyance. "A dead and fraud hanyou housed by a human's body does not deserve my attention."

She moved towards him, holding out her blood soaked hands. "Is that so?" Her fingers touched Sesshoumaru's face, staining his alabaster skin with blood as she caressed him. Her eyes showed a deep hatred and anger as she said with fury "Then humble my presence, Sesshoumaru-sama, and kill me!"

The anger slowly dissipated as the amber orbs slowly disappeared and the presence of death vanished in the midst of the air. Aishou seemed to have returned in the depths of the young woman's body, for her golden eyes slowly withered into an innocent brown.. And in an instant, her eyes closed… her energy exhausted.

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"_Rin-chan, you're not safe here anymore," the matron of the temple orphanage told her with much hesitation._

_Rin looked at the music box she was toying with as she sat on her bed in her bleak room. "Is it because… of Aishou-sama?"_

_The young woman's face hardened. "You have power Rin-chan." She sat on the bed next to her and cupped her face gently. "That power within you is linear to your growth. The older you are the more powerful she gets."_

_Rin hugged her in nostalgia. The very woman who raised her since her mother's death was telling her to leave._

"_I've raised you since you were little," she continued while clutching the child. "And now you're a young woman. At the same time, the entity inside of you will eat you away… If you don't go…" Tears welled in her gray eyes. "Aishou-sama will slowly kill you inside."_

_Sorrow and devastation rang in her heart. For once she understood why the very goddess they worshipped was named as Sorrow. It's because anything Aishou-sama caused, felt, and had was nothing but sorrow._

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Jaken pitifully looked at the girl before him. Sitting by the fire, he continued to cook the fish he caught in a river nearby. The moon provided enough light in this summer sky as stars floated in the crystal darkness. However, Jaken could not appreciate this beauty for his frustration of their journey getting delayed so they could wait for a human girl to wake.

Moments pass and her eyes flutter. Slowly her lashes open to a huge, green toad cooking fish. _A huge green toad…_ Her thoughts ran wild with memories of the past, unable to take in the present. _Where am I?_

She slowly sat up, wisps of her long black hair falling on her shoulders. The whole encampment was filled with the rich aroma of the cooked fish. "T-Toad-san who are you?" she asked weakly. Her eyes were still droopy but she felt well.

Jaken was interrupted from his thoughtful complaints and fish-cooking jumped a bit from her sudden awaking. "Took you long enough to wake up! Human wench…" He mumbled more insults under his breath.

The fire roasted warmly as Rin felt heat in her arms and legs all over again. Her repetitive visits in the world of unconsciousness took a toll for half of her body was numb. Looking down at herself, she realized she was clothed with her torn yukata, though it was good enough that it could hold on to her fragile body and conceal certain body parts.

Looking at the toad and studying its features caused her eyes to widen in fascination. "Say… toad-san. Are you a youkai?" Her question rang with curiosity and excitement. Rin can't believe it. She heard so many stories of demons since she was 4 and always dreamt of meeting one. Now here she is 12 years later, sitting next to a toad demon!

"What of it?" Jaken scoffed. He crossed his tiny shoulders on his chest and turned away from her direction.

Rin jumped in joy and recklessly clutched Jaken next to her plump chest. "You really are a youkai! I can't believe it! I can't believe it!" She jumped on the ground while holding a dizzy Jaken.

_What a hassle… we need to get rid of this overgrown brat._

Rin rubbed her cheek against Jaken squealing, "You're so cute too! What's your name toad-san?"

_Now she's treating me like a toy…heh humans._

"I've always wanted to meet a youkai, demon-san! Even an ant demon would've sufficed!" Her face glowed with jubilance. Jaken never met or saw or heard of a human who would go out of her way to happily meat a demon… or an ant demon for that matter.

Jaken's green face flushed red with anger. "WHY YOU INSOLENT BRAT!" He kicked himself off of her grasp and landed on the ground.

Rin became even more excited as she yelled, "Oh my! You can jump far too!" She made another attempt to hug him. However, Jaken immediately ran to get away from her only to be stopped by a certain dog demon's voice.

"Jaken," Sesshoumaru called out with demand. He stood with an oilcloth in his hand, which Rin recognized as the bag that was filled with her belongings. But she didn't care notice it for she stood in awe at the magnificent, god-like being before her. His silver hair danced in the nightly breeze as the moon illuminated his body.

Immediately, Jaken stood straight, his eyes attentive and full of pride.

"SUGOI!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!" (A/N: sugoi means wow/amazing)

Jaken twitched at the high-pitched scream while Sesshoumaru remained calm and impassive as ever.

"A real dog demon! Oh I've always heard about dog demons in legends too! I can't believe I could actually meet such noble creatures!!"

Before she jumped at Sesshoumaru, her attention quickly turned at a very white, furry boa resting on his right shoulder. Rin's eyes gleamed with euphoria. Two magnificent beings stood before her and now she can't help but be overjoyed.

After finally seeing her oilcloth bag, a rapid flood of memories rushed through her brain. Her face paled with the thoughts of the bandits. "You…" her voice and expression softened as she realized what had happened. "You must be the people who saved me! Aishou-sama _did_ answer my prayers!"

Jaken gasped at her stupidity as Sesshoumaru's brow furrowed at the mention of Aishou.

Rin went on her knees and bowed to them as a sign of gratitude. "Thank you so much for helping me!" Her hair scattered in the ground as she lowered her head, blending in with the shadows of the night.

Her eyes on the soil, she didn't notice Sesshoumaru throwing the oilcloth at her until it thumped on the ground. She rose from her position to look inside, familiarized with her own belongings. Rin dug her hands inside, pulling out a dagger bearing the Heian Kyo gothic cross crest. Remembering her mission, she instantaneously changed her mood. "Forgive me for being so rude," she said solemnly with her head still lowered. "But I have to leave for Heian Kyo."

Suspicion swept both Jaken and Sesshoumaru at the mention of their similar destinations.

"Would it be alright…" Rin swallowed nervously, "if you take me there under your protection? … I know it seems very wrong of me to impose on both of you like that… But after… the bandits…" Dread filled her at the thought.

Sesshoumaru didn't give a reply, except he walked back to the path leading to Heian Kyo with a perplexed Jaken following.

Dumbfounded, Rin followed without question. It seemed it didn't bother him, though the toad was mumbling to himself.

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"It looks like we came here too early," Kagura stated as she stood on a hill overlooking Heian Kyo, where the cathedral they sacked stood.

Naraku gazed out into the moon without responding, heavy with thought. Grey streaks of clouds flooded the diamond-covered sky as sounds of summer crickets filled the air. Both figures, stood waiting.

"I wasted my sword on useless monks only to find that the wench has yet to come here," he grunted. Anger simmered in his blood, boiling in his red eyes. However his anger really was centered in a presence this afternoon. Though it was far away he was sure the whole world felt it. A feeling of fear and rage… "Tell me Kagura what you know about human legends."

Kagura was confused at his question. Her superior was acting strange, but she was sure it was a sign of a lost temper. "Only that they blindly worship a hanyou who hates their race."

Naraku scoffed at her answer. "But do you know how she died?"

She cocked an eyebrow at her question. "She didn't die…"

He turned to look at his ward. "Exactly…"

Wherever he was going with the story, she had no clue. Kagura heard of it many times in her lifetime and she surely does not need a lecture at this moment.

"Aishou's legend has been warped and tweaked to a point that it's so far-fetched and contradictory to why she's worshipped."

Kagura ignored his lessons and continued gazing out over Heian Kyo. The random and pointless history lesson was boring her.

"Aishou… is a false idol," Naraku whispered. He slowly pulled out a violet orb from his black robes, revealing its crystal tainted with darkness. "I'll destroy her and her legends."

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**A/N:** Thank you again for reviews and for reading my story. This was a quickie chapter to write hehe. Oh yeah for those who don't know Takemaru, watch the 3rd Inuyasha movie. Next chapter will be… when I feel like it again.

Getting confused with the legends? Well I made it to be like that on purpose. The real story will be revealed soon so don't worry.


	3. Chapter 3: Ahead on Our Way

**Author's Note:** Oh wow such a long time! Well I really did lose interest, but I'll update since I'm bored as fuck and I have nothing to do. To be honest, this story is something I make up as I go along. I don't plan like other genius authors xD. By the way, the song/chant I'll be typing up is in Latin

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**Chapter 3:** **Ahead on Our Way**

_500 years prior to current events…_

"_Kyrie, elaison_

_Christe, elaison  
__Kyrie, fons bonitatis._

_quam bellus, quam sanctus  
esse virgo creditor."_

The wretched claws tore upon the cold flesh, soaking her lifeless hands with blood as her eyes gleamed with bloodlust.

"Please spare me-…" He knelt on the frigid stone floor with his hands clasped in prayer.

Aishou grinned at the pathetic man. "Don't waste my time with petty begging." She thrust her nails into his heart, wrenching it as it exploded inside of him. She loved it: the horror in his eyes; the agony in his scream. Whilst her hand was inside of him, she grabbed all she could of his insides and quickly withdrew; and in her own creative way, she created a fountain of blood.

Her elegant fingertips dripped with ruby droplets as the blood of her victims slithered down her bare, pristine arm. Aishou left the corpse to be devoured by the night's shadows, and continued walking down to her destination through the temple. It was dimly lit by the fading glow of warm candles, but all else were engulfed in night's embrace. Her golden eyes gazed upon the moon, basking in its alabaster darkness. Her expression which was filled with a murderer's instinct, now changed into an expression of relief. Her eyes softened and her lips curled into a slight smile.

"Okasan," she held out her hands, "I offer to you… my revenge." Closing her eyes, she felt a spiritual presence lift her…

"HOLD IT!"

The sound of several metal-clad boots echoed throughout the vicinity. They hurriedly formed a circle around her with long iron swords ready to strike at the demon before them.

_Humans…_ Aishou grumbled in her mind, irritated by their interrupting. Looking around, she could feel their fear… even see it. Each of them were quaking! They were nothing but scrawny charlatans. But to her, they were _beneath_ nothing.

In a blink of the eye, her figure instantaneously darted behind one of the soldiers and squeezed his corpulent throat, raising him in the air. His eyes bulged and mouth opened for the gasp of air. She laughed maniacally at their feebleness as they all stepped back utterly appalled and perplex at her lightning-speed and psychotic demeanor. The victim in her hands wriggled for escape, dangling like a helpless fly caught in the spider's web. Her fingers squeezed tighter, decapitating his head from his body; its blood showering her body and long raven locks. After parading his corpse in the air, she quickly disposed of it by throwing it off on the temple's cement walls.

"WHO'S NEXT?!" She yelled at them, the cowering dogs they are. They all tried scampering away, shrieking for escape. Aishou was about to follow until…

The golden orbs in her eyes widened in extreme pain and surprise. Looking down her chest, an arrow which emanated with a purifying power pierced her heart. She quickly turned around to see a young priestess equipped with a long bow and a sack of holy arrows. "I am." she answered impassively.

Aishou's knees gave way as she fell to the floor, writhing in pain as blood uncontrollably flowed out of her throat and the confounded hole on her chest. There she lay, helpless defeated with her ebony hair a shadowing pool on the ground.

It was there, the moment she had been waiting for. As her sight blurred into utter darkness, she could feel the death reaper's grasp waning her strength. When her eyelids fluttered into the eternal sleep of death, she could hear the dreaded voice of the priestess chanting a prayer of sealing.

"You… y-… you damn wench!" her voice could barely make out what she had to say. She knew what she was doing. The damn priestess was trying to seal her soul into confinement. "No…" A void of white took her away into the land of slumber. In a matter of moments her existence would depart the world of reality into an eternity of incarceration. In a last attempt to free herself, she screamed, her voice echoing through the night.

Kikyo stepped into the moonlight, taking out a dagger bearing the crest of Heian Kyo from her robe's sleeve. She quickly whispered a spell to her itself, causing a faint glow to illuminate its blade. "In this blade, Aishou, I sentence your soul to everlasting imprisonment."

Her elegant face then formed a sad smile. "You were a hero to the people Aishou… but you threw it all away as you drowned in your grief…"

A curious monk stepped in the scene away from his shadows. "What are your oders?"

"Burn her body, and the dagger along with her."

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_Present_

As Rin lay on a thick tree branch, she held out her Heian Kyo dagger to the moon, illuminating it for her purpose of studying its unique characteristics. Too wrought in insomnia and boredom, she couldn't help but play around with this artifact instead of saving her energy for tomorrow.

Her mind meandered into the depths of her memories…

_I've had this dagger for as long as I can remember… But I don't know a thing about it._

Her eyes quickly peered down her two guardians, the great and glorious Sesshoumaru who gazed into the camp fire, totally absorbed into his thoughts, and Jaken who was grumbling to himself about the ridiculous human girl accompanying them.

_Maybe they would know about it… they're demons after all. I'm sure they've lived long enough to have such knowledge._

"Nee! Sesshoumaru-sama!"

He turned his attention, looking up at her from the ground as Jaken jumped, annoyed with her high-pitched voice. If anything, the green toad preferred the eccentric Aishou over this overly-delighted nuisance… speaking of which.

_That's right, the girl has no idea of Aishou being inside of her. Is that why Sesshoumaru-sama allowed her to follow?!_

"Do you know anything about this dagger?" She threw it aimlessly at them. The lightweight dagger bounced off the green toad's circular head, disrupting his thoughts.

"WHY YOU!!"

Sesshoumaru studied it as Jaken seethed in his anger.

_The crest…_

His deadpan demeanor immediately vanished and his brows furrowed in perplexity. "How did you get this?" He questioned with a threatening tone.

Rin grimaced, thinking she had displeased this wonderful creature. "I… I've had it since I was a little girl."

With that response it suddenly came to him… This young woman was probably born with such too… Aishou's "cage" in human form. In his realization, Sesshoumaru felt alert. "We have to leave now."

Jaken and Rin looked at him confused. But instead of further explaining, he just walked back on the path.

"Wait Sesshoumaru-sama!" Jaken yelled, running with his tiny legs behind his master.

"May this Rin ask why?!" she said defiantly. Jaken gasped at her courage to question Sesshoumaru's motives…. And mock his way of speaking in third person! (A/N: lol)

But instead of doing the expected (which was to punish her), Sesshoumaru simply turned back with a glare and answered, "You're simply not safe here."

In her mind, she felt flattered and honestly shocked that _he_ was concerned for her well-being… totally unaware of WHY he was concerned.

Rin nodded her head and followed, humming a pleasant tune as they continued their journey.

* * *

Aishou slowly dreamed in her sleep of the lord she had loved so dearly... the only man she adored and admired. Here he was before her, yet she could not grasp him in her current form, trapped in the body of a mindless adolescent.

Someday... she'll return.

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A/N: It was very short I know. But this chapter is what I like to call a "filler chapter." But in a sense it's not since it did provide you readers with much of what the plot is all about. I know right now you SessxRin fans are disappointed they didn't get some "action" but there will be more in later chapters… right now is just too soon.


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